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For over 75 years, Hydro-Québec has been generating and distributing electricity up to the electric meter.
Now, with its Hilo service, the state-owned company is looking to take a step further by managing peak periods directly on devices.
However, web giants are already very present with such products increasingly furnishing Quebec homes.
In an interview with our Parliamentary Office, Hilo CEO Sébastien Fournier cites Google, which recently offered thousands of Nest Thermostats to low-income families in the United States.
Self-generation of electricity also seems to irk Hilo.
Companies like Google and Tesla have heavily invested in the solar panel industry or storage units.
'We wouldn't want electricity to become the property of a foreign company and be resold to customers.
We already see this in several jurisdictions; there are many intermediaries,' says Mr.
Fournier, noting that the main issue is network security.
'I don't think we're immune because there are very creative companies in self-production that are entering the Quebec market.
'With its subsidiary Hilo, specialized in residential home automation, Hydro-Québec aims to facilitate energy efficiency intelligently, thanks to its connected management tool.
All thermostats, switches, dimmers, and smart plugs connected to Hilo will be linked to a virtual central station that will allow Hydro-Québec to better manage the network, mainly during consumption peaks.
If a larger portion of Quebec households does not opt for Hilo's system, it could be more complicated to manage the explosion in electricity demand.
The important thing, Sébastien Fournier emphasizes, is that the objects can at least be connected to the 'Hilo Gateway,' the subsidiary's control tower.
According to Mr.
Fournier, Hydro-Québec needs more advanced management tools to respond to the demand linked to Quebec's electrification.
The first challenge will be to manage the proliferation of electric vehicles.
'When there will be a million, or even two million electric vehicles in Quebec, and everyone will come home at 6 p.
m.
and plug them in.
.
.
These are quite enormous power calls.
With the volume of vehicles that there will be, it's certain that it will have extremely important impacts on the network,' explains Sébastien Fournier.
With its Hilo program, Hydro-Québec aims to save at least 621 megawatts annually within 10 years, roughly equivalent to the hydroelectric production of the Romaine-2 dam.
Recently, it was revealed that the growth in electricity demand in Quebec is accelerating and that Hydro-Québec is seeking to fill the supply shortfall expected by the end of 2026.
Hilo's ultimate goal is precisely to allow the state-owned company to save megawatts so that it is not forced to buy energy from other markets or build new dams, which could increase electricity prices.
In 2021, Hilo estimates that it will allow the state-owned company to save only 14 megawatts.
However, by 2029, 621 megawatts are expected.
'It's certain that we aim to enter the largest number of households in Quebec and have positive impacts,' says Mr.
Fournier.
Hilo must also allow